yard progress and more

The grass is greener! All of our hard work (mostly Steve's) has paid off, and though things are pretty patchy in spots the lawn is loooooking goooood. The kids are spending so much time outside and if we manage to get them in after dinner with enough time to wrestle them into the shower or bath, they go to bed clean; if not, they go to bed with dirty feet and messy hair and big smiles on their faces from hours of outdoor play. We bought them scooters last week (kijiji), and it's amazing how quickly both kids have figured it out. We sometimes scoot to and/or from school, but this usually means Alana will ride halfway there and then it's up to me to carry her the rest of the way there and back.

our lil' slugger last week

We signed Hendrik up for Little Sluggers, and last week's first meeting was great. The kids - about 40 of them - were divided into little groups and rotated through stations; our guy was switch hitting off of the T, tossing and catching (and watching airplanes), running bases and more, and seems to like it. I had an all day volleyball tourney today (reverse 6s, we lost in the 1/4 finals), so Steve was at the field with both kids for picture day - stay tuned for a look at Hendrik's first baseball card (CUTE)!

I'm keeping busy with a condensed course for school (over in the next three weeks I think), and any and all free time is dominated by the kids - but that'll change next week. I start coaching Monday and Wednseday nights, and with just a month left of school we'll be hitting summer mode before we know it. Thanks to a day full of play, the kids were ready for bed by 7:15, and both were quiet upstairs by 7:30; this means what? That they'll be up early. We'll watch hockey and then go to bed EARLY. Actually. I was up late all week gripped by the amazing story and real-life characters in All the light we cannot see, and now that I've finished it I can go to bed at a reasonable hour (before 1:30). I hope. Signing off!

thanks for the photo hendrik!

swimming lessons for three

brief brief

Another week bites the dust! It's awful that I don't have any pictures of the back yard to post - there's grass growing and it's green - green! It's been two weeks, so there are quite a few dirty, bare patches, but I managed to keep things moving in the right direction even with the chief of lawn staff out of town for five entire days. Steve spent the weekend (plus) in Calgary, socializing and catching up with volleyball friends and teammates and briefly hanging out with his sister and her family. I would have loved to have joined, but I think it's a trip best taken without kids, as the only schedule I'd like to follow in volleyball-land is my own (and that of a handful of other teams). With club nationals running at the same time as both women's and men's national team games, most volleyball folk from across the country were in Cowtown, and this means nothing but fun.

My independent study (Physically active girls in children’s picture books: the power of exclusion, inclusion and depiction) is coming along slowly but surely, and the kids have latched on to a few books that I'm taking a close look at - namely My Favorite Run. We've read it mid-day and before bed, and the mid-day reads have inspired runs around the block as a family - which is just about the cutest thing you ever did see: Hendrik in the lead (semi-coordinated, pumping his arms), and Alana and I loping along (her wild hair flopping everywhere) and me sporting a pink owl purse (Alana's, empty, cross-body - at her request). Throughout the run Alana recited lines from the story, my most favourite being, "This is my favourite run mama." Adorable! I'd recommend you check it out of the library, but it's unlikely that it's there - look for it on Amazon or better yet, make a request at your public library (check Worldcat to find the closest copy).

Signing off here - it's too late to do more work and I'm in the middle of a Flavia mystery (and I'm sure Alana will be up early). When do kids start sleeping in (past 7:00)? I know I should be counting my lucky stars (and not saying anything) that she's doing a better job of making it through the night, but 6:30 is early (especially when a good book keeps you up until midnight). Bed!

eureka!

Oh the irony! I'm doing a condensed course looking at how girls and women are portrayed in sports-themed picture books, and I haven't exercised since the master's tournament (two weeks ago - boo!). A walk is planned for tomorrow, and that's as good as it'll get for now; because of this tight timeline (I need to be ready to present at a conference in ... less than 4 weeks (!!)), schoolwork takes priority over fitness. Anyways! This post is really about Hendrik describing his eureka! moment, and what he does when the lightbulb goes off at school:



I love it!

suddenly summer

One of the best Christmas presents from 2014's festivities is a subscription to Maclean's (thanks Secret Santa Bob) - the mag arrives on Monday or Tuesday, hits Steve's side of the bed first, and I usually read it a week later. And so I just got around to reading this article about Zahed and Najah, an incredible story about survival, reunion, hope, and much much more (the trailer for a short film is here). I often think about how incredibly lucky I am to have been born in Canada, to have two loving, caring, supportive parents, and to grow up in a safe and stable environment. Why? I am beyond lucky, I know.

I am also beyond lucky to have two healthy and happy children who are going to crawl into bed with me tomorrow morning and be reminded by my one and only to say happy mother's day and shower me with love. Happy Mother's Day to all of you mama's - in heart, mind, body and/or soul - I hope you get to spend some quality time with your little (or big) loved ones. (For me that will be balanced with some alone time - at the YMCA and/or the Bay - at least that's the plan for now.)

Steve has done a serious job on the back yard over the course of the last week, and with seed planted and the hot hot sun beating down, fingers are crossed that grass will grow. It is suddenly summer here, with a humidex of 31 (yesterday) and 30 (today) - for real. Summer met winter last week, and we all-of-a-rushed out to look for sandals and hats and summer jammies for the kids this afternoon after replacing the storm windows with screens. What else? Hendrik has an eye appointment next week and is getting the full deal complete with drops and all-out-eye-exam, and we're thinking we'll take him to Cora's afterwards as a special treat (the appointment is at 8:00 - bleh!). I just booked a flight to Laval for a conference next month, and need to put the pedal to the metal to have everything prepared just so, just in time. Not much else new -  bed time here... or maybe a glass of wine first? Yes!

whirlwind weekend!

we need an updated photo, but you can see the progress made (and the sand table Steve built) in the back yard

It's May! And we're just back in London after an amazing whirlwind weekend away in Toronto (me), Bowmanville (family), and Gatineau (me and Steve). I took part in the 37th annual Ontario Women's Master's Basketball Championships, and our team won! We played four games, and then, since the team I'd just joined was hosting the tournament, helped out with the banquet - where we ate good food (including a build your own sundae dessert bar), won door prizes (I picked a Gonzaga t-shirt jersey), enjoyed great company, and listened to a few inspirational speeches - one of which was "the most important part of this whole thing is ... the after party." So, for the first time in much too long, I took part in some late night dancing festivities and slept for but a few hours before catching the bus east to join my family in Bowmanville. From there Steve and I drove to Gatineau where we saw our long lost-for-8-months friends, ate good food (sushi), slept like the dead, and met with a realtor. This was the real purpose of the trip (to list our place), and there were a few run-around errands we had to do to get the apartment looking half decent. The turnaround was quick though, and we were back on the road approximately 24 hours after we arrived, feeling quite satisfied with our current living situation - i.e. we like London and our house in London a zillion million trillion times more than we like Gatineau and our apartment there. We enjoyed less than 24 hours in Bowmanville - I tried to get some school work done (I have so much work to do!) - and then were back on the road again, headed for "our London home." The kids slept (and ate) very well at Grandma and Grandpa's, and I'm hoping things continue to go well here - though I have my doubts (it just took me close to an hour to get Alana to settle down for bed). There's much more to write about but I'll leave it at that; here are some pictures - more to come soon, promise!

these two!

Auckland Ballers! We went 4-0 to win the tourney - so much fun!

check out what came in the mail from Team Quebec last week - a hand-written card, a JERSEY and a watch: "congrats on your amazing career" - !!